Days 149, 150, 151: Stair Stepping...

And now we train.

After work, I have discovered a lovely. uphill loop. This hospital is built on a side of a mountain. Adventists built wonderful paths up the mountain to where there is a collection of lovely, little cottages that the hospital owns. Back in the 1880's most of the hospital staff rented these houses from the hospital. That is still true today as the hospital still rents these houses out to employees (most of whom still in the Adventist fold).

You gotta hand it to the Adventists for pioneering many healthful innovations. Among them are: vegetarianism, the benefits of exercise, getting proper rest, abstinence from smoking and alcohol, getting outside into the sun and hydro therapy. In many ways, these passionate believers were way ahead of their time. And as a group, the Adventists outlive most everyone.

And I benefit from their hiking paths!

Since the next backpacking trip is some 45 days away, it is time to get ready for it. That means stair climbing. From behind my home away from home, there is a path with 104 stairs in it. Straight uphill. From there I wind around a couple of cottages and then take a meandering, overgrown path back down the hill to the hospital.

I made this circuit five times on Saturday. Seven times on Sunday. Nine times today.

When I return in two weeks, I will bring my pack and start lugging the thing up the hill. It seems silly to spend time on a "stair stepper" in a gym, when you can climb REAL stairs outside. With the benefits of listening to Scrub Jays cackling at me, fresh air and this beautiful hillside to enjoy.

Day 148: Quail Mountain Road

While the rest of the world prepares to take advantage of a holiday weekend, I go to work. To make it worse: it is sunny! Being a hospital Nurse means that you (generally) can kiss every other weekend good bye. And also every other major holiday. While the rest of the world recreates, you won't be; You will be working.

At least the money is good.

So after work I ventured out to take yet another single lane road up into the Mayacama Range. Why do I walk these little single lane roads?

Because if I don't, who will? Yes there are two State Parks in the Napa Valley. I've walked all those trails. So why walk these little lanes?

Because I'm curious. It seems a shame to not have SOMEONE walk on them once and awhile; might as well be me! I feel that when I walk on these forgotten little bits of the Napa Valley, I am actually staking a claim for public access. In these most anti-social of days, I want to do something social. To reclaim our public roads for foot power.

I like adventure. You can't just traipse across private property in the Napa Valley---that is an invitation to visit the County Slammer. You have to get out on those little single lane roads to find out what is there. Private land owners get sneaky though. They put up gates at the entrance of a public road to fake you out. They want to make it seem like you shouldn't be there (even though the public does have the right to pass).

Quail Mountain Road has no wineries, I discovered. It is short (only took me 27 minutes to go to as far as I dared to go). There are a couple of decent sized Redwoods. And the road is skinny with lush vegetation this time of the year. Pretty.

And nobody is on it. That is part of the fun---just to see where it goes on my own two feet. To boldly walk where no one has walked before...

I walked as far as I could go on Quail Mountain Road before I came to a massive steel gate. A high fence makes it so you can't go around and continue on. As I looked at the gate, a Stellar Jay cackled at me from the other side as if to say: "Come join me! There is more adventure ahead!"

Briefly I considered crawling over the gate to join the Stellar Jay. But no. Not today Mr. Stellar Jay. I felt envious of the Jay's freedom. Only birds and animals truly have the right to roam.

Day 147: A Conversation with a Lutheran Pastor

Still cold, rainy and cloudy. Angel and I take a walk this morning.

While walking I was reflecting upon a constructive Facebook conversation I had with a college friend of mine. Steve is a Pastor of a Church which is in the process of voting to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

There is a schism there, after the ELCA leadership decided that it was okay to ordain Homosexual Pastors who are in a longtime, monogamous relationship. Many Congregations don't like that, and Steve wrote a post on Facebook yesterday about his Church's upcoming vote on whether they should leave the ELCA.

I have shed many doctrines in my spiritual walk. I am no longer a Lutheran. I depart with the notion of the "Atoning Sacrifice" of Jesus. Yet, I remain a Christian of sorts. The following is the dialogue between Pastor Steve and me. I put in a couple paragraph breaks for Steve's part of the conversation. I cleaned up a couple of my spelling errors; other mistakes I left in to leave the flavor of the written conversation. I did change some identities of people I write about.

Otherwise, the conversation is verbatim:


Allan Stellar: Pardon me for making a comment Steve. Feel free to erase this if this is none of my business... but....

The Lutheran church I grew up in split apart over the question of slavery in the 1860's. One group opposed to it; the other for slavery (black people aren't part of God's chosen people!). They ended up forming two churches in my little Minnesota town.

From the vantage point of 150 years, which church would you want to have belonged to?

Seems to me the Lutheran church is facing the same question now.

Pastor Steve: Al, if I refer you to an article on the subject, would you be willing to read it?

Allan: Of course... :)

Pastor Steve: Al - look at pages 36 and following in this pdf:

http://wordalone.org/pdf/welcoming-community.pdf

Allan: Made me feel like I was reading the Koran. This isn't my worldview anymore, so it isn't really instructive for me.

I don't buy the premise that homosexuality is a sin. I am much more bothered by deep sea drilling, species extinction, racism, homophobia and the like. These are things the bible doesn't mention, yet are quite evident of humans' disconnection from God.

Why do so many Christians limit morality to, mainly, varieties of sexual expression?

I think God wants us to grow. To think. To love. To nurture. To limit our desires beyond that of sharing the bed with another woman or man.

It'd be better to stay a part of the Church and take all this time and energy into putting solar panels on the roof.

But, as I said, this really isn't any of my business. Thanks!

Pastor Steve: Morality is certainly NOT limited to sex. Some people limit it that way because they do not want to look at the truth--the truth of the prophets Jeremiah, Amos, and the command of God at the beginning to care for the earth. In what way does what Joel writes make you think of the Koran? I don't understand that.

Allan: Why the Koran? Because the document (written by Joel) is no longer a part of my culture. Perhaps the metaphor is wrong, I have just as difficult of time reading the Bhagavad Gita. :)

I'm sure Joel is a fine human being and believes sincerely in his world view (as do you). And I love those prophets mentioned.

But no where in this document did I read about the persecution of gay people. I read a whole lot about why gay people should remain celibate (as if heteros pull that one off). But I don't see any Amos like condemnation of vilifying a valid, loving sexual expression within his discussion. And nothing about homophobia. Nothing about racism in his (weird) discussion of slavery.

Our morality is determined by much more than the Bible. And I would say that the word alone folks have a bit of their own culture infiltrating this discussion.

I think Jesus would accept homosexual relationships. And, as the document tries to say: that is what the Church is about.

Pastor Steve: Allan - I referred you to this document because you were making a comparison, in your original comment, between the church's conflicts over slavery and this issue about sexuality. I would not say everything in the way he does, but he does a good job, on page 37-38, dealing with the slavery issue.

As for the rest of it, when I teach I do not personally focus on the "7 scripture passages" that Joel focuses on. I have a simple thesis as regards the homosexuality issue that you can read at http://equalsharing.blogspot.com/2009/08/wisdom-and-love.html.

If you want to read that and respond to that, that would be great.

I know we come from different world views and that makes the conversation difficult--but I wrote my thesis intentionally without reference to the Bible so I could perhaps talk with people who come from a variety of perspectives. As to the question of "sin" - all of us sin every day in every part of our lives, intentionally and not. Our despoiling of the environment--also a part of God's creation--is a HORRIBLE sin that needs to be addressed. I would argue however, that we DO have all the ammunition we need in regard to that in, for example Psalm 8. When we hurt God's creation we sin against God.

Allan: Oh, I went ahead and read the whole thing by Joel.

I don't have any major problems with what you wrote. You leave things sufficiently vague... :)

Cheers!...

Pastor Steve: Vague? So you agree that we ought to lift up and honor heterosexual marriage above all other forms of sexual relationships?

Allan: I think we ought to lift up all loving relationships. I'm just happy you didn't call homosexuality a sin.

Pastor Steve: So you do disagree.

And, though I don't use the word "sin" there, the Greek and Hebrew meanings of "sin" - as I understand it, is a simple "missing of the mark" of God's intent. I don't use the word "sin" because it carries such a load of baggage, making some people seem worse than others, which they are not.

If you get a chance, read my note from Monday - http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=398790014823.

Homosexual relationships, because they miss the mark of God's intent, are sinful. That's why we don't lift them up and honor them. If they were part of God's intent we could honor them.

Even though I try to say things gently, you and I, and so many others, we do disagree. But because, as you say, you're outside the theistic Christian worldview, that won't make sense. For those of us who believe that ANYTHING outside of God's intent is sin, tainting everything I do, it's clear that homosexual relations fall into that category as well. If they did not, we could honor them just like heterosexual marriage.

Like Martin Luther, who was a terrible sinner and responsible for so much evil, I am bound to God's Word. I can do no other. But I WILL NOT hate or despise or try to destroy my homosexual brothers and sisters. We are not different in God's sight. We are ALL sinners in the need of God's grace. But some things we just cannot bless.

Allan: With all due respect Steve (and I fully see your humility in saying that you will not hate or despise your homosexual brothers and sisters). I get that...

But...

This is an example of why I had to leave the church in order to be a Christian. No where does Jesus say that we should not bless, or support, loving relationships.

I would like you to tell the above paragraph to my friends Bill and Jack. Good people. Been in love for years. Kind. One an ER nurse who has saved many lives over the last 20 years. Jack works as a creative therapist. I could never tell them that their relationship "misses the mark" just because one of them doesn't have a vagina.

Or tell that to my college roommate, Chuck, who plays the organ for church and is active within the Gay movement within the Church.

"Being bound to God's word" sometimes leads to becoming an oppressor. Jesus had no problems with discarding law, in order to use his brain and promote love.

The Lutheran Church has been apart of promoting many awful things because of their love for the word alone. From Martin Luther's anti-Semitic remarks (which the Lutheran Church finally apologized for in the early 90's) to the Nazi Holocaust to, now, this schism which in my mind is the result of homophobia.

So I have to politely disagree.

Pastor Steve: Allan, I appreciate the conversation and your politeness. I understand, at least a bit, how offensive what I'm writing is. Because I believe God's purpose for sex is intimately connected with the blessing of new life, this is a key issue for me.

I need to politely disagree with your assessment of Jesus' attitude toward the law. Actually in terms of what we have from Jesus as regards sexual relations (mostly in Mt 19), it seems that he goes back to the "original intent" of Genesis 1 & 2 to build his case for lifelong marriage... I'm sorry you think of this as homophobic. For me, it's just that I can't turn my back on God's revealed Word, which, after all, is what brings to us the grace of Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection for the sake of the world. But I know that's not where you are either. Thanks for the conversation.

Allan: Thanks Steve... :)

Day 146: Rachel Carson

Chilly. Raining. Sunny at times. Cold. A long walk with Angel.

Yesterday, I heard a radio station say that Rachel Carson lived for awhile in Clear Lake, California. An internet search today couldn't substantiate that. It seems to be untrue.

The Clear Lake reference is that she got the idea to write "Silent Spring" after receiving a letter from a resident of Clear Lake. In reading a bit about Rachel, I came across this quote by her:

“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”

Day 145: It Is Still Raining!!

Welcome Brandi...

Drove to the city last night. Slept on Springer's couch and attended a computer class that started at 7 am and lasted until early afternoon. Seems they just can't create enough computer charting for nurses. Nor do they make it easy. Left click. Right click. Left Click. Write. Check Slash. Repeat three thousand times.

Nurses don't treat patients anymore: they treat charts.

After class I left the awful city of Vallejo and drove home the long way. Drove through Clear Lake, California. Rachel Carson's home. Today is Rachel Carson's birthday. The Spring isn't as silent anymore. But it is wet...

Upon getting home, Angel and I needed a long walk. We walked in the rain. May has been the coldest month on record. The average temperature has been a full twenty degrees below average. And the rain continues; seems like it will never end.

Still, I'll take a walk on the Ridge over spending time in the depressing city of Vallejo any day...

Day 144: A Concow Apology...

More mud work. Done in this very unseasonable, cold, cold weather.

Ed Abbey once wrote: "Very well. If there's anyone still present whom I've failed to insult, I apologize."

Writers can get into trouble sometimes. Especially Writers with a point of view. A phone call this weekend made that apparent to me. It was from a local woman inviting Joni and me to a workshop on natural building. This person said she read my blogs. Then a dead silence ensued.

I sometimes write about the people on the Ridge. All of them fine, fine humans who have that special eccentricity to make them want to live "off the grid". I sometimes write about people different than me in (what I think) are light hearted terms. And so you will find the occasional diatribe about Rednecks, Potheads, Apocalyptic Christians, Adventists, Rastafarians, Weekenders and all the others who live in my corner of the world.

I write from a perspective of affection. I love the diversity that is my home. Even when I'm opposed to having bulldozers on the Ridge. Or neighbors who fence off their entire property.

Many of these neighbors (who differ from me) have been such kind people to us. One neighbor graciously brings us bread and produce from his garden. Others show a bit of fear of us. We try to be neighborly. Joni takes a neighbor's kids to and from school because their car is on the blink right now. But perhaps we could be more neighborly. More kind. More friendly. We try.

I have a point of view. In moving to this place I wanted to try to live up to my values. I wanted to build something that was close to the Earth. Natural. Using mostly human power. I wanted to move here to experiment (and get ideas about) how humans and wildlife can co-exist; which is why we don't fence off our property (in order to let the deer and other critters have their right to roam continue).

This blog isn't widely read. But should someone stumble upon it who might say: "Hey, I know that guy!" Try not to be too offended. Read on. Take it with a grain of salt. I'm just trying to make sense of this new and different world.

And I have some core beliefs which make me a pain in the ass sometimes. Amongst them are:

1. People have the right to roam.

2. Animals have the right to roam.

3. Properties have rights. Yes, I'm for Property Rights! That land you build your homestead on has the right to be treated kindly. Just owning a part of the Earth doesn't give anyone the right to despoil it.

4. All development done on this Ridge should not interfere with its natural, beautiful purpose. All critters (whether bear, mountain lion, rattlesnake or gopher) are our neighbors. We should use only what we need--and not build little castles to ourselves. No personal Fiefdoms. At the very least, half of the property should be left alone. Migration corridors need to be respected. All trash picked up. Livestock should be protected from predators by non-lethal means; they should be protected by reasonable fencing, barns at night, guard dogs and simple shepherding.

5. Religion (with its humanocentric worldview) often gets in the way of actually living peacefully with the Earth and the Earth's other beings.

6. We should be Social with everything: humans, plants, critters, birds, bugs, dirt, rocks--all of God's creation. In simplest form it is called: Ecosocialism.

So if I've offended anyone: I apologize. Stop by and say "Hi" sometime. Let's talk.

Day 143: Kylie Meets a Rattler...

I'm mud plastering walls.

Kylie took Angel for a comfort walk today. She came back a bit sooner than expected. "I had to come back because there was a rattlesnake by the road". She then went on to explain that the snake was coiled and that its rattler was buzzing.

Kylie is a pretty good historian, so I put down my hoe and we went out to find it. Not to kill it; we wanted to photograph it. The snake had slithered away.

Kylie is a country girl. She listens to Carrie Underwood (or "Underwear", as I call her). She reports seeing critters with such an understated fashion. She wasn't surprised at all to find a rattler (this is the second one she has found). When Joni, Kylie and Jazzy came across a bear last year, she talked about it like it was no big deal. This is her world.

Sometimes I feel guilty for dragging her out to this "middle of nowhere" world. To make her shower with a bucket. Heat water on the stove in the winter and then use a shower bag in the summer. Computer and TV time greatly limited due to whether the batteries have a charge in them or not ("not now honey, the sun isn't shining"). Hauling water to the cabin. Sleeping in an itsy, bitsy cabin. No Wii, Ipod, Ipad, Xbox or cell phone. She knows not to wander off at dusk (due to the mountain lions).

Doesn't seem to be having too negative of an effect on her. Kylie will skip 5th grade and go into 6th grade next year. Good for her!

Day 142: Mud and Rand...

Another day and more mud work. I count this as "human powered activities" because it is strenuous and I do most of it outside (as I wrote yesterday). I'm pleased with the progress of this Hobbit House. See my other blog for more information.

And Rand Paul. Poor guy! I didn't know he was going to get into so much trouble when I wrote that little thing about the Republican Nominee being named after Ayn Rand. Joni tells me that his name was "Randall", but he shortened it to "Rand" in honor of his heroine: Ayn Rand.

Alexander Cockburn has an interesting piece in Counterpunch regarding Rand Paul's antics. From a Left Wing point of view, he sees Rand Paul as being the best choice in Kentucky. He goes on to comment on what Libertarians and Lefties have in common.

I'm not sure I agree with Cockburn; although Rand Paul clearly isn't a racist--his love of human owned property rights certainly (and quickly) leads to those segregated lunch counters. Don't think that could ever happen again in the United States? I have one word for you: Arizona!

Day 141: More Mud...

Human powered activities. Yep. I spent the day making mud plaster for the north wall of our post and beam, stone, straw bale and cob Addition.

Not a walk. But most of the work is done outside. It counts in my book.

Good honest labor. Labor that I can do! Doesn't require a whole lot of brains. Or skill. Just a bit of sweat. If I hired me as a laborer, I'd fire me right away. I don't work hard. I take my time. I enjoy the process. I enjoy the work. I make it fun!

Day 140: The Ed Abbey Memorial Hike....

Angel and I are back in training. I had to change the date of our next backpacking trip to July 15th. Some friends are visiting the Homestead at the earlier date. Which is just fine because I have a person who wants to do it with me. And a couple others are interested. This is the itinerary I sent out to, what will be, the Edward Abbey Memorial Hike.

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd pass along a little itinerary for this trip. This section is not on anyone's "life list". It is supposed to be ugly, dry, logged over with less impressive views. Hiking books on the Pacific Crest Trail state that you should go fast through this section because it is boring, shade less, somewhat dangerous and dry.

Which is why I want to do it!

I want to do this section because it is the part of the trail that is our backyard. There will be views of Lassen here and there. The trail has some climbs (but not too bad). Here is what I think would work:

We put in at Belden on Highway 70. The altitude will be around 2300 feet. The first day we travel along Chips Creek. The guidebook I'm reading states that there are lots of rattlers here. Be careful! There also is a long shade less climb through a canyon up to where the Sierra (composed mostly of granite) gives way to the more recently volcanic type rocks that compose the Cascade range. We will hike where these two mountain ranges marry! There is water in this section (watch for snakes!). We climb to 3700 feet to a clearing where there is a cabin. The Williams cabin allows users to sleep there. Cook. Use their utensils. The distance is 6.2 miles with only 1,400 feet of elevation gain.

Joni and the girls might join us for this section. We could carry in fresh food and have a decent dinner of fresh steaks and other foods (they have a wood stove) and engage in reverie. But not too much. Here we say goodbye to the women in my life and travel on. We should leave early because...

Day Two climbs a bit more. There are a couple of options for camping: we could camp at Poison Creek (don't know if I like the idea of that?), which would be a 6.8 mile day and climbing to an elevation of 5650 feet. Or we could really book it and go an additional 6.3 miles to Humbug Road (close to Humboldt Summit). This camp area is called Cold Springs (it has water and has a camping area). Cold Springs is at 6,450 feet. So this day would be some 13 miles with a 2,400 foot elevation gain. Much of the trail passes along lumber roads in this section. Close map reading will be necessary! We should drink lots and lots of water here. Get good and hydrated because the tough part comes next. We have gone 19.3 miles so far (if we don't get lost and add more to that total!)

From Cold Springs there isn't any reliable trailside water for 23 1/2 miles! However, at around mile 13 there is a 1/2 mile jaunt down to a creek where we could camp, swim and drink water. We will need to pack lots of water for this section (unless there is still snow melt). At least a gallon per person. And July can be very hot (although we will be at 7,000 feet).

So Day Three will be hard. We will be at higher altitude; we won't have water; we will cross clear cuts; we might have a view of Lassen and Lake Almador (but won't be able to drink out of it). And it is long. The campsite is at the "saddle south of Carter Meadow". There should be water here about 1/2 mile from the campsite (keep your fingers crossed). The altitude is 6,600 feet. The distance is 13 miles...32.3 miles since starting this endeavor.

We move on. Tired. Thirsty. Delusional. Delirious.

Day Four is along the crest to Soldier Creek. There is just one camp site there (and a flowing creek). The ford shouldn't be too difficult in July. The altitude is lower: 5,480 feet; the distance is 10.5 miles. We lick our wounds and curse that we have even thought about hiking this section. But we will have survived, what could be, 23 1/2 miles without reliable water. We will be like camels in this section. Self esteem inflates. Armpits wreak.

Day Five we hike just 3.7 miles to our take out spot at Highway 36 (at 4,990 foot elevation). Hopefully, someone will come pick us up. There is a place called St. Bernard Lodge (fitting for you religiophiles) just 1 1/2 miles from the trail. We could walk there, or hitch a ride to the bar (it better have a bar!) and have our loved ones pick us up.

I was wrong on the total mileage: It is 46.5 miles (if we don't get lost). Most of the hike will be at 5,000 to 7,000 foot elevations. I don't promise good scenery. I have no idea what the trail is like (or how well marked it is). I'm not sure of the views. This could be the most god awful experience through some of the most degraded, logged over, godforsaken terrain that comprises our backyard. Yet it also promises adventure! Survival! Fun! And teamwork.

Reading prerequisites? Desert Solitaire by Ed Abbey. And the essay: "A Walk in the Desert Hills" by Ed Abbey.

It could be the best time you've ever had while feeling incredibly miserable! Feel free to forward this to your wives (or other hiking partners)! Take out more life insurance! Make amends with your Maker.

Cheers!

allan